A
customer once came to the store to “straighten him out” after Cosentino hung up
the phone on the man’s screaming wife, which Cosentino immediately acknowledged
was wrong and apologized for. At that moment, Cosentino treated the customer
calmly, fairly and empathetically. His response earned him customer respect and
repeat business.

“When
the customer is in your face, you have one of your greatest opportunities to
win an undying loyal fan,” says Joe McCullum, owner of Eagles’ Wings Business
Coaching in Hamden, Conn. Here are three tips for diffusing a customer’s anger
and gaining a loyal fan.

Let them
vent—and listen carefully.

Remain calm, make eye contact and ask what happened. Consider
taking notes, advises Jennifer Martin, owner of Zest Business Consulting in San
Francisco. This shows you care about the details and are paying attention, she
says.

“If
done with care and permitted to take as long as it takes, this will usually disarm
most people because they’re not used to being acknowledged,” Cosentino says.

Stay
in public view for this conversation, suggests Clifton Eason, an instructor at
Samford University’s Brock School of Business in Birmingham, Ala. This, he
says, demonstrates your willingness to acknowledge and understand the situation
without shying away from it, which can be a great testimony to other customers.
That reputation will last longer than the original incident.

Don’t defend
yourself.

The
customer may not always be right, but getting defensive will just make the
customer more frustrated, says Martin.

This
isn’t the time to educate the customer on their misunderstanding, McCullum
adds. Instead, admit you would be upset, too.

Find a
solution together.

Randi Busse, founder and president of Workforce Development Group,
Inc. in Melville, N.Y., says to apologize, express thanks for alerting you to
the problem and ask how you can correct it. Then, get the customer’s contact
information and follow up in a few days to ensure all is well.

“When
customers feel valued and respected and their issues are resolved, they are
often more loyal to the company than they were before the screw-up,” Busse says.